Who we are
The Safety, Security, Emergency, Defence Qualifications (SSEDQ) group is a specialist awarding organisation dedicated to providing nationally recognised qualifications and training for the UK’s protective services, emergency responders, intelligence and security community, and the Armed Forces.
Our purpose is to ensure that qualifications across these sectors are competency-based, standardised, and interoperable, reflecting the complex, multi-agency environment in which professionals operate. By doing so, SSEDQ strengthens workforce capability, supports professional recognition, and enhances operational readiness across the public service and defence landscape.
We work closely with stakeholders across fire and rescue, policing, NHS emergency response (including the Emergency Capabilities Unit), intelligence and security services, and the Armed Forces to ensure that our qualifications remain relevant, credible, and aligned to Joint Service Publications (JSPs), sector-specific doctrine, and nationally recognised frameworks.
What We Do
SSEDQ develops and awards qualifications that:
Recognise competence gained through training, operational experience, and professional practice.
Provide career pathways for personnel working in safety, security, emergency, and defence sectors.
Support joint service collaboration by embedding common standards and shared competencies.
Maintain national recognition by aligning qualifications to the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF).
Our qualifications and training programmes are designed to meet the requirements of protective services and the wider public service community, while also aligning with:
Defence Systems Approach to Training (DSAT) for military and defence sector qualifications.
Joint Service Publications (JSPs), ensuring compliance and consistency across public service policies, standards, and training delivery.
We also operate a robust quality assurance framework to guarantee the integrity, consistency, and value of all awards, giving learners, employers, and regulators confidence in our qualifications.
